The Press., 1887-06-23
THE sTORRs SCHOOL.
Ex-oov. HIDES ADDRESS AT THE ANIL vERsARY EXERCISES, JUNE 16rH, 1887

IABflCulbuf4 ocnOOl, nave tne pleabur0 or
 welcoming you to these exercises. Your presence is an encouragement 10 us, and
 an indication, which we gladly hail, of n growing interest in the school and an in.
 creasing appreciation of it's value and use- fitness. .tstl at
 It seems to me not out of place to pause
 @ moment at the outset of these commence
 ment exercises to consider the progress
 which has been made from beginning
 full of doubt and perplexity-throuPh diff hculties and disoouragements which at
 times seemed to be insurmountable, to
 condition of affairs which fully justify the
 assertion that the school is now an un- doubted success, and is destined to be-
 come, under wise management, one of the
 most valuable and honored institutions of
 the state.
 The Storrs brothers of Brooklyn, N. r., Charles, now deceased, and Augustus, who
 honors us with his presence on this ocoa-
 sion, are entitled to the honor of being named as the founders of this school. The
 idea of 1t was conceived by them. and out of their unsolicited generosity 1t was born.
 The subject was first formally presented
 to the State Board of Agriculture at it's
 meeting at New Britain, December IS, 166O when the Storrs brothers caused an offer to be made to the state of a farm l.NI
 money for establishing on the farm an ae-
 ricultural school. The board of agricnl- ture passed a resolution thanking the Storrs brothers for their ''munifcent of-
 fer, and authorizing the chairman to ap- point committee of three to examine the
 proposition and to report to the next gen.
 eral assembly.
 This committee, composed of careful
 and ludicious men of large study and ex-
 perience, thoroughly examined the subject
 in all its relations, visited the farm at
 Mansfield, conferred with the Storrs broth CTS, and reported unanimously to the
 board in favor of asking the state to ac. cept the gift and make the appropriation
 necessary to meet the current expenses of
 maintaining the school. Thus the subject
 was brought to the attention of the general
 assembly of 1881. It was then carefully considered in committee in both houses,
 and the result was the passage of an act
 entitled "An Act establishing the Storrs School" The first section of this act is as
 follows: '"The Storrs Agricultural School
 is hereby established for the education of boys whose parents are citizens of this state, in such branches of scientific knowl- edge as shall tend to increase their prof. ciency in the business of agriculture" A
 board of trustees was provided for, to
 whom was committed the location of the school, and sum not to exceed five thous- and dollars annually for three years was appropriated for the support of the school, provided Glands, buildings and other prop. erty or money amounting in tbe aggregate
 to $15,000, as appraised by said trustees, shall be donated to the state for the estab- lishment and support thereof" - -l
 You will observe that by this action of
 the general assembly of 1881, the Storrs, Agricultural School was established. rr It IS true that the location was not then fixed, but was committed to the trustees.
 but the good faith of the state was pledged
 that 1t would be located at Mansfield, pro.
 vided the Storrs brothers should donate to
 the state the necessary property. To this
 pledge on the part of the state the Storrs
 brothers promptly responded, and Au-
 gustus Storrs conveyed to the state for the
 use of the school about one hundred and
 seventy-hve acres of land, with the build ings thereon, at Mansfield, and Charles Storrs gave the state in addition thereto more than $5, 900 in cash. This donation. amounting to more than ,000 in value,
 the trustees accepted in behalf of the state, and the school was then established at Mansfield. want to say here that the
 name of the school, the StOrrs Agricultural
 School, was not even suggested by the Storrs brothers, but was fixed upon with
 out their knowledge as just recognition of , their public spirit and generosity. For three years all went well. The school fourished and grew in favor with the farm CTS and citizens of the state to such an ex-
 tent that, in 1884, the necessity began to
 be felt of increasing the facilities of the school by the erection of new and more
 commodious buildings. But upon the subject being broached in the general as- sembly, it was found that objection would be made to an appropriation for that pur.
 pose on the ground that, as the original deed from MT. Storrs contained a condi.
 tion by which the property should revert to
 him Tn case the school was abandoned, it was not good policy for the state to ex- pend money on buildings which might sometimes revert to Mir. Storrs. This ob-
 jection was felt to be serious one. It was urged with great force by many of the friends of an agricultural school whose
 judgment was entitled to great weight, and it was used with great skill and tact by those who were opposed to an agricul- tural school on principle The school was yet an experiment; it had been m opera tion but little over two years, and ihere were many members of the general assem- ply, there were many farmers in the state, ! who had not become satisfied that the state needed or could afford to maintain school for the benefit of agriculture. The discussion waxed hot. The school was in peril, first, because of the widespread doubt as to the advisability of maintaining,
 such a school, and second, because of the condition of the title The result was
 compromise. An appropriation was made simply for the current expenses of the school for another year, and the whole
 subject was submitted to the consideration
 of special committee under the following resolution
 Resolyed-That a committee of one senator
 and three representatives be appointed to act
 with the trustees of said school to inquire and , Ireport to the next session of the General
 Assembly the exact position in which said { property stands with respect to the title in the state, the advisability of the location, the
 advantages, if any, of a change in the same, the cost of such change,as compared with the present cost of maintaining said school at the ' present place, what other location, if any, is desirable, together with the estimated cost of } securing the same and the advantages Go be derived by such change, and to report if full as to the general adoption of said Storr's Agricultural School as at present eonstituted to accomplish the object intended by said ) school, and any other matter pertaining to q said school which may to tha coDouittaa aaas,,